This year, Technology Forum 2013 closed on a particularly inspiring and energized note with Robert Wheaton’s presentation called “Future-Proofing Publishing: Lightweight Technologies Publishers Should Be Watching Right Now”. Robert is VP of Strategic Digital Business Development at Random House of Canada and the fearless leader of the Hazlitt team. His background in inventory management at Indigo and web development in the arts gives him a unique perspective. He has a vision for publishers and on March 7th, he had attractively packaged it in an Indiana Jones metaphor.
Opportunities in Self-Publishing
Self-publishing has always suffered from PR problems, but its days as the ugly duckling of the publishing world are numbered. Readers are showing a willingness to buy titles from no-name imprints, and it’s becoming more common to hear about traditionally published authors making the choice to go the self-publishing route.
CMPTO Considers Digital Content Options
Last week’s CMPTO meetup was all about going digital, but not in an EPUB sense. As multimedia continues to grow and expand, so do the expectations of the people who consume it. Last Wednesday night we had three fantastic speakers, all of whom were able to shed some light on how publishers might begin to view the new digital landscape and what “going digital” means to each of them.
The Definition of a Bestseller
Learning to Be Truly B2C
We all know that publishing must become increasingly consumer-centric, but few of us really know how to make that happen. B2C marketing has become a priority for publishers but there is a lot more to becoming a consumer-centric business. While publishers have traditionally considered themselves taste-makers, if not gate-keepers, that dynamic needs to change as consumers are becoming an increasingly active participant in the retail environment. Consumers have a more powerful voice and the expectation to be heard. This is influencing many industries, and a market-driven approach is proving to be critical to the success of companies across industries. This is why, this year, I’ve focused the Technology Forum programming on B2C thinking. This is a vague term that covers a lot of ground as you can see from the programming confirmed so far.
An Inspiring Example of B2C Marketing: blogInk
Making a Bundle
When publishers talk about bundles, they’re usually referring to is multiple formats of the same work sold as a package—usually a print version together with a digital version for download. The success of DVDs with digital download means this is definitely a worthwhile conversation to be having, but remember that bundling can also refer to bundles of different titles—and this model is looking more and more promising.
The World in the Palm of Your Hand: A New App by Collins
Thank Collins, in conjunction with The Other Media, for bringing us Atlas by Collins, a continually updated app that allows iPhone and iPad users to discover their surrounding world—near and far—through three-dimensional colour-coded (and pretty!) maps.
Pack Your Books We're Going on a Field Trip
Keep Your Head in the Clouds: Publishers, SaaS, and Cloud Services
Yesterday, I tuned in to a Publishers Launch webinar, titled An Introduction to SaaS and Cloud Services for Book Publishers. If you found yourself scratching your head in bewilderment at more than one word in that title, you’re not alone. The term “cloud computing” is often spoken at conference these days, and it’s time to unpack the jargon and look at the key points of the webinar: the benefits and challenges of cloud systems for publishers.
